4th ODI: Fiery Gurnoor Brar gets cautioned by umpire, Virat Kohli plays peacemaker

The sun rose again in New Zealand as the fourth ODI between India and New Zealand got underway at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Friday. And with bright sunshine, some heat arrived on the pitch, with India’s tall fast bowler Gurnoor Brar and New Zealand opener Tim Seifert engaged in a fiery exchange. 4th ODI Update | Scorecard

Making a habit of getting under the skin of the opposition batsmen, Brar kept jabbing at Seifert as the New Zealand opener attacked the Indian bowlers. Seifert and Will Young gave the hosts a quick start after stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to come on. But Brar ultimately had the final say in their contest.

The 6ft 5in fast bowler from Punjab came back to dismiss Seifert with a sharp bouncer. The New Zealand opener tried to take a short ball but it got to the top edge which was brilliantly taken by keeper Ishan Kishan. However, Brar was not satisfied with just the goal. He walked over to Seifert and celebrated wildly when he got right in the face.

Seifert was visibly unhappy with the send-off and looked ready to take on the Indian walker. However, Virat Kohli stepped in and pulled Brar away, preventing the exchange from escalating further. The moment caught the attention of on-air commentators who expressed their surprise at Kohli playing the peacemaker, given his own history of animated on-field exchanges and confrontations with opposition players.

On-field umpire Chris Brown also intervened, speaking to Brar and appearing to warn the fast bowler not to take his aggression too far. It was another reminder of the fine line between a fast bowler’s competitive intensity and behavior that crosses that line.

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Brar’s animated celebration also had some context. Chodník endured an expensive start to his spell, allowing 14 runs in one inning. Seifert took a particular liking to the tall fast bowler, who overtook him for a boundary of six and two. Brar was subsequently dropped from the attack and had to wait until the first powerplay to return. Gurnoor Brar is cautioned by referee Chris Brown (SonyLIV Screengrab)

By then, Seifert had already made a half-century off 42 balls, putting New Zealand in a strong position alongside Will Young. The wicket was therefore an important breakthrough for India, especially after the hosts had started so positively.

BRAR GLOWS WITH PACE AND LEGACY

However, Brar had reasons to stand up. The fast bowler has been one of India’s biggest successes in the ongoing ODI series, taking seven wickets in the first two matches. He took three wickets for 44 runs in the series opener in Auckland before producing a career-best 4 for 30 in Wellington. The 26-year-old made particularly good use of his height and ability to extract extra bounce from New Zealand surfaces.

Earlier on Friday, New Zealand got off to a flying start after Iyer opted to bat first. Seifert and Young took advantage of loose bowling and an indifferent position from India to race to 72 for no loss in the first 10 overs. The Indian fielders were not at their sharpest, allowing the opening pair to build momentum and put the visitors under pressure.

However, Seifert’s recall opened the door for India. The visitors struck again soon after when Axar Patel’s left-armer trapped New Zealand rookie Nick Kelly in a sharp piece of the wicket. Kelly was stumped for four, giving India another breakthrough and preventing the hosts from rebuilding immediately after losing their well-set opener.

New Zealand will be looking to put up a significant amount and keep their hopes of staying alive in the five-match series intact. India entered the fourth ODI with a 2-0 lead after winning the first two matches in Auckland and Wellington. The third ODI in Hamilton was washed out due to rain, leaving little margin for error for the hosts in the final two matches.

The fourth ODI also saw a change in management and personnel for both sides. Shreyas Iyer has taken over as India’s captain for the last two matches after regular skipper Shubman Gill moved out of the ODI squad to prepare for the upcoming Test series. KL Rahul was also unavailable, Ishan Kishan returned to the side as wicketkeeper and Ruturaj Gaikwad was given an opportunity at the top of the order alongside Rohit Sharma.

New Zealand, meanwhile, were missing several established names, including Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell, who were among the players unavailable for the latter part of the ODI series as the team underwent changes ahead of the remaining matches. Mitchell Santner continued to lead the home team as they struggled to respond after losing their opening two matches.

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